More Corruption in the New Rochelle School District Under Service Master Employee John Gallagher

Talk of the Sound has observed, on numerous occasions, a work van owned by the New Rochelle Board of Education parked in the driveway of a private home on Harold Court in New Rochelle. As this article is written, Vehicle E-68 is parked in the driveway of 21 Harold Court, the residence of Anthony Raffa, a plumber working for the New Rochelle Board of Education.

Raffa works in the Buildings & Grounds department of the school district under John Gallagher and Anthony Rigos. Gallagher is a private contractor working for ServiceMaster under a no-bid contract. Employees working under Gallagher have been engaged in a wide range of criminal activities during his tenure as Director of Environmental Services. James Bonanno, Jr., painted a death threat against the publisher of this news outlet on the side of a boat in the yard on Cliff Street leased, in part, by the New Rochelle Board of Education. Frank Demasi, a carpenter was caught making personal use of district vehicles and equipment. James Bonanno, Sr. ordered men working under to him to go to his girlfriend's house in Orange County to work on renovating the house, Anthony Newman sexually assaulted a school district employee in City Hall. HVAC specialist Vito Costa was arrested and plead guilty to charges stemming from his "no show" job under Gallagher.

All, except for Costa, continue to work for the school district.

In the Costa case, he did not show up for work in the month that investigators for the Westchester County District Attorney followed him yet no one with responsibility for signing his time sheets or managing his work for the district was ever charged in the case.

It's been three years since the New Rochelle Board of Education sent a letter to Buildings & Grounds employees working under Service Master executive John Gallagher directing them they could not longer make personal use of district vehicles including taking the vehicles home at night and on weekends or using them for hunting trips or to run private businesses on school hours. At least one BoE employee did not, apparently, get the memo.

Anthony Raffa, a plumber working under Gallagher, has been leaving his personal vehicle, a silver Dodge Ram pick up truck, parked in the parking lot near the tennis courts at New Rochelle High School and taking Vehicle E-68 home. School district employees are prohibited from making personal use of a district vehicle and likewise prohibited from using their personal vehicle on district business. Typically, workers who are driving their personal vehicle during the work day are doing so to avoid detection for leaving early or working other jobs while on the clock with the district.

Vehicle E-68 is a green 2004 Chevy Van with New York State License Plate L48855 (VIN#:1GCHG35U641168222) assigned to Anthony Raffa. It's "home" parking spot is in the parking lot at the New Rochelle High School tennis courts.